"After a while I found my self just listening all day. The sounds of life taught me that the Kingfishers and cranes fish early in the day. That donkeys talk to each other like out of tune bagpipes across the pastures. I figured out that the dogs up the road have a certain bark that tells the dogs down the road that a tractor is coming their way. "

Sometimes you don't know where you are going until you get there. The path and evolution of Walter's work has never been planned. The journey is very different when the gift is given. When the skill is sought there is a process that gets you there. When the skill is given, you have to find out what to do with it. Walter struggled a bit at first. The analytical builder refused to believe he was an "artist". A perfectionist has trouble with things that don't have a good reason to be there. Abstract was never a consideration. Nature did such...

We have seen more than a few folks come and go through the Forge. Some drive for a while on purpose to get here. Others find us just by hap-n-stance. Some come to see what its all about and others come with some very preconceived notions about the process and the craft. There are exceptions to all rules but experience can certainly make some things stand out. You can tell pretty quick if someone has ever swung a hammer in their life. You can tell by the questions they ask if they have spent much time around tools and if...

This is a transcript of Walter's segment for Bama Bounce TV. Enjoy! The Art of Black Smithing, Making a forged leaf hook. The forge I'm working on is a Buffalo Forge built in the 1890's, it was originally built as a rivet forge, where both sides were high but the type work I do, long pieces and that sort of thing I had to go ahead and cut me a hole in that end and drop this end to where I could get the long stuff down on to the fire pot. It was given to me by...

First let me Thank each and every person who visits our site and a special thanks to those who make the journey to come and watch Walter work. While our goal is to provide heirloom quality iron work for our clients, Walter's gift has become so much more in our lives than a way to make a living. We have been blessed to touch peoples lives and have them touch ours with stories and testimonies. Clients have become friends and Walter has been given the opportunity to share the knowledge that comes to him by grace....